FULTON - A Fulton man is still looking to get thousands of dollars back from a mid-Missouri construction company that he says ripped him off.

Retiree Richard Brockmeier says the owner of Switzer Construction did not fulfill his contract.

"We just wanted him to rip off the shingles that are on now and put on a metal roof," said Brockmeier.

Brockmeier signed a contract and paid a $2,500 down payment to Cory Smith of Switzer Construction this past June.

"I was having a hard time getting contractors to even come out. This has been a very busy season for roofers. He was one of the few that actually came out here and gave me an estimate, it was a reasonable price," said Brockmeier.

According to Brockmeier, Smith was contracted to begin work by August first, but when that start date rolled around there was no sign of him.

"It was like something out of a fairy tale where you see the puff of blue smoke and then he's gone," said Brockmeier.

After several attempts to contact Smith by phone, Brockmeier said he filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Brockmeier isn't alone; at least half a dozen others in the mid-Missouri area have filed formal complaints against Switzer Construction for uncompleted work.

A spokesman at the Better Business Bureau said the bureau has still not been able to get in contact with Smith.

"Generally when we get a complaint about a company we reach out to them and they have two weeks to respond to that," said Regional Director Mike Harrison.

According to Harrison, more than two weeks have passed and Switzer Construction has not responded.

The lack of response to consumer complaints led the Better Business Bureau to suspended Switzer Construction's accreditation in November.

"They agreed as an accredited business member that if there are any complaints that are filed against them, to make a good faith effort to respond to those, and in this situation they did not respond," said Harrison.

KOMU tried to contacted Switzer construction multiple times, but their only number was disconnected.